When Everything Changed
by ss-dragon-lady
Summary: 1st story in Love's Destiny arc. As the title says, this is when everything changed between the two demons. Find out just what caused the unexpected riff. Slight HxK.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything about the Yu Yu Hakusho characters or show.

Hey! This is a little late, but here it is. This is a prequel to my Hiei/Kurama story arc. It should have been the first story I wrote, needless to say it wasn't. I could only write it when the inspiration for it hit. I hope you all like it. Well. Here goes.

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One Shot

When Everything Changed

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Kurama exited his workplace, popping open his red umbrella before stepping out in the pouring rain. He quickly ran towards the parking lot. As he approached his car, he jumped over a puddle of water and landed on the other side. However, his foot slipped on the wet asphalt, throwing him backwards. The fox found himself sitting in the puddle that he tried to jump over, the umbrella laying off to the side.

Kurama looked around to see if anybody had noticed his moment of ungracefulness. Finding it safe, he muttered a string of explicit Makai curses as he got to his feet. Looking much like a drowned rat, he snatched up his wayward umbrella and continued on to his car. He yanked the door open and grimaced as he set down on his car seat. He slam the door, muttering to himself.

"This day keeps getting better and better." The fox remembered the day of hell he had. It all started that morning with the alarm clock going off late and then escalating from there. He arrived late to work earning himself a lecture from his boss. Lunch rolled around to find the fox very hungry after someone took his lunch from the employees' refrigerator. When he tried to get something from the vending machine, it ate his money. Finally giving up, Kurama went back to his office and began working on a very important report that was due on Monday. As the work day was coming to a close an angry and disgusted curse resonated through out the second floor. Kurama was just finishing up the needed report when his computer crashed, losing everything. Calling it a day, he snuck out of the office to find it raining.

Kurama shook off the bad memories of the day, not wanting the on coming headache. He cranked his car and backed out of the parking place, heading to his apartment. The normal twenty minute drive to his apartment took a hour after he got flat and had to change the tire in the pouring rain. Finally, the fox stomped into his apartment, slamming the door behind him, and then letting out a frustrated scream. A slight tapping on glass drew his eyes to the sliding door. He saw an equally drenched fire demon staring at him. The fox ran over and yanked the door open.

"I DON'T WANT ANY!" Kurama yelled at his petite friend.

"Problem, fox?" Hiei asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that?" Kurama shot back, moving to the side.

"Hn." Hiei grunted, walking into the apartment. As the fox closed the door he spoke again. "Maybe the fact that you just screamed like a girl suggests it."

"How dare you?" Kurama was offended. "I have you know Youko Kurama doesn't scream like a girl in this form or the last one."

"That's not what I heard." Hiei smirked wickedly.

"Why are you here anyway?" Kurama asked annoyed, kicking off his shoes and then pulling off his wet socks.

"Isn't it obvious? It's raining and I don't like rain." Hiei replied, taking off his boots as well. He flared his energy, quickly drying his clothes.

"Yes, I know." Kurama stated, wishing he had the ability to dry himself too. "Relax, meditate, or whatever while I have to take a shower and get into some dry clothes." The fox turned and walked into his bedroom, leaving the fire demon to his own devices. He took a long, hot shower, finally getting warm after being cold for so long. The redhead walked out of the bedroom dressed in sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, feeling a lot better. He found Hiei sitting against a wall, meditating, his katana laying beside him.

"Feel better?" Hiei asked, looking up to his friend.

"Actually, yes." Kurama answered, a little stunned at first that the fire demon asked how he felt, but then a smile slowly grew on his face. "I didn't know you cared about me, even if it's only a little."

"I do not!" Hiei growled, wishing he hadn't said anything. He didn't want his friend to know that he actually cared about him. In truth, his feeling went much farther then that, he genuinely loved the fox. "I just wanted to know if you are going to scream anymore."

"No I'm not, I was just having a bad day." Kurama replied, disappointed at the fire demon's answer. He was hoping that it was a caring feeling that Hiei had, it would help with the problem he had. The fox was totally in love with his best friend and didn't know if or how to tell him. He didn't want to ruin the friendship he had with the fire demon. "But now that I'm home, it should get better."

"Hn."

"Are you hungry? I am, and can fix us something."

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes." Kurama laughed, heading into the kitchen.

Hiei was again meditating when he heard a miner explosion. He snapped his eyes open to see, smoke coming from the kitchen. He jumped up and ran into the room. The fire demon couldn't believe what he saw, the fox was throwing water on a small fire. He quickly went over to help Kurama. In no time the little fire was put out.

"What happened?" Hiei asked, turning to the fox.

"The microwave exploded!" Kurama spat out. He suddenly lost it, and threw the pot he held against the wall. He grabbed another from the open cabinet and threw that one too. Hiei stood back, totally stunned at the actions of the normally cool and calm fox. Just as the third pot was about to leave the redhead's hand , the fire demon grabbed it, dropped it to the floor and turned Kurama towards him.

"You are actually scaring me, fox! What's the matter with you?" Hiei asked loudly, slightly shaking his friend. He also realized just how tense the redhead was. "Why are you so tense?"

"I'm fine, Hiei." Kurama answered, putting on a fake smile.

"That fake smile won't work with me, Kurama! Now tell me what's the matter with you!" Hiei demanded harshly.

"I have had a horrible day." Kurama said, sinking down to he knees. He quickly told his friend everything that happened to him that day. When he was done talking, he was feeling somewhat better and looked up at his friend with a small, but genuine smile.

"Hn, you have had a bad day, you seem to be doing better, at least the smile isn't fake."

"Thanks for listening and I do feel a little better. I wonder what else can happen today."

"Don't think about it, it can't get any worse." Hiei replied, holding his hand out to his friend.

"Oh, yes it can." Kurama laughed, taking the offered hand. They both noticed the jolt that rippled through their bodies at the contact, but didn't show any type of reaction. The fire demon quickly pulled the fox to his feet and dropped his hand.

"So I guess, I'll have to order take out." Kurama mumbled, looking over his messed up kitchen. He then looked back to the fire demon. "What would you like?"

"Hn, doesn't matter to me, as long as it doesn't look weird." Hiei mumbled, he would rather being something the fox cooked. It was the only ningen food he trusted.

"Pizza then." Kurama said, walking out of the kitchen. He went to the phone and placed his usual order. When he turned around, he expected to see the fire demon in the room, but he wasn't there. The fox walked back into the kitchen and stopped in his tracks, Hiei had abandoned his cloak and was actually cleaning up the dirty mess from the fire "You don't have to do that."

"I know." Hiei replied, looking up and then shrugged. "I am only doing this because of the day you had, don't expect it again."

"I won't." Kurama laughed as he walked forward. He started helping his friend clean up. He couldn't get over how the fire demon was acting or how much he was actually talking. That was something that rarely happened, which had the fox totally confused. He never dreamed Hiei would help him clean up, but he wasn't going to complain, he was thankful for the help.

It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door. The two demons threw down their rags and walked out of the kitchen. Kurama went to the door and answered it. It was the delivery boy with the pizzas. The fox quickly paid and took the pizzas, noticing the strange look the boy gave him. He looked down to see his clothes and hands had soot smudges. Kurama mumbled something about crazy appliances before closing the door. He turned around and found Hiei standing near the couch. The only soot visible on him was on his hands, seeing how his clothes were black.

The fox walked over and sat the pizzas on the coffee table before disappearing into the kitchen, motioning for the fire demon to follow him. Hiei didn't want to follow, but did anyway. He was tired of cleaning and had only don it to help his friend out, since he was already so stressed out. The fire demon found Kurama at the sink washing his hands and arms.

"You might want to wash your hands before you eat." Kurama said, glancing over his shoulder. "The soot and chemicals from the cleaning fluid won't be good for you and won't taste good either."

"Hn." Hiei grunted, walking up beside the fox. He took the soap that was offered to him and quickly washed his arms and hands too. They left the kitchen and sat down on the floor between the coffee table and couch. Kurama pulled the box towards them and they began too eat. In no time, the demons had eaten almost two whole pizzas.

"I'm going to go take another shower." Kurama said, getting up from the floor.

"Again?" Hiei asked raising an eyebrow. The fox always had to be so clean, it was almost an obsession.

"Of course again, I'm covered in soot." Kurama stated matter-of-factly before turning and going towards his bedroom, not waiting for a reply. He took a quick shower this time and then dressed in boxers and a t-shirt. He was walking out of the bedroom, smiling. "If you want to take a ………." The fox never got to finish as he unexpectedly tripped and was about to meet the floor. Suddenly he wasn't falling anymore and found himself being held up by the fire demon.

"Well, that was strange." Hiei muttered, looking over the floor. "There is nothing there to trip on."

"There isn't?" Kurama asked, straightening up and turning around. He found there was in fact nothing on the floor. "You know, it's not so strange with the day I have had."

"I guess not." Hiei smirked amusingly.

"You would like to watch something on the TV?" Kurama asked, walking carefully over to the couch. He didn't want to trip again. He grabbed the remote as he sat down. Hiei walked over and sat down on the couch too, not really wanting to watch TV. He was actually starting to worry about the fox and the bad luck he was experiencing. The fire demon felt movement on the couch and looked over to his friend. Kurama was rubbing his shoulder hard.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" Hiei asked offhandedly.

"The muscles in my neck and shoulders are very tense." Kurama replied, moving his hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, where he continued to rub.

"Sit on the floor." Hiei commanded in a tone that left no room for argument. Kurama wasn't sure why the fire demon wanted him to move, but did anyway. He slid off the couch to sit on the floor with his back against it. He jumped slightly when he felt hands touch his shoulders and black cloth covered legs appear next to his shoulders. The fox started relaxing when the strong hands on his shoulders began massaging his knotted muscles.

"That feels so good." Kurama practically moaned out. "Thank you, Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei grunted, but let a small smile grace his lips, which the fox didn't see. He raised his energy, sending heat into his working hands. He didn't know why he even dared to touch the fox like he was, just that he wanted him to feel better. It was nice though, to have someone not scared or repulsed by his touch. The fire demon continued to work, watching what he was doing instead of the playing TV.

Kurama on the other hand was doing his best to keep his mind on the TV. He didn't want Hiei to know just how his touch affected him or how much he welcomed it. He was even more confused now. Hiei was almost acting as if he did care, if only a little. Without realizing what he was doing, Kurama laid his head against the fire demon's knee and closed his eyes. He was loving the feel of those deadly hands, gently manipulating his shoulders. Hiei's smile only got bigger when he saw and felt the head lay against his knee. This was too perfect, it made him want to tell the beautiful fox everything. A bright flash of light followed quickly by a loud clap of thunder resonated throughout the apartment building, plunging the room into darkness.

"I think I may leave so your bad luck won't rub off on me." Hiei muttered, stilling his hands. He was tempted to start massaging down the fox's chest to see where it would lead, but decided against it. He felt the head leave his knee and almost groaned at the loss. A small amount of light erupted in the form of a plant in the fox's hand before he turned around.

"You may be right." Kurama sort of smiled. "We can't have you getting bad luck from me. You can leave or stay if you want, but I'm going to bed. Maybe things will be a lot better in the morning."

"Maybe." Hiei agreed, watching the fox rise to his feet. "I think I'll risk it, I'll stay."

"Well then, you know where the bed is when your ready for sleep." Kurama said before walking towards his room with the little plant still in his hand. He was about halfway to the bed when he tripped over nothing again. He quickly prepared for the contact with the floor. But that is not what happened. He felt arms circle his waist, keeping him on his feet.

"You're really clumsy tonight, fox." Hiei teased lightly, dropping his arms from around the slender waist and back to his side. "I have never seen you like this before."

"I'm normally not." Kurama said annoyed. It was true, he was never clumsy. What irritated him more was the fact Hiei of all people had to see him like this. "That was the second time you have kept me from hitting the floor."

"Hn, I think you should get in that bed and stay there." Hiei smirked, pushing the fox slightly towards the bed.

"Yes, sir." Kurama laughed, throwing a salute. He turned and got into bed under the covers. Hiei walked around and climbed in on the other side, slipping under the covers. Kurama tossed and turned for several minutes, trying to get comfortable.

"Stop that, fox! You are going to bounce me off the bed!" Hiei growled when the bed shook again.

"Sorry." Kurama replied guiltily, but kicked off his covers and turned again, ending up on his stomach. A warning growl from the other side of the bed was heard. The fox stopped any further movement and found he was actually comfortable. Kurama dropped off to sleep rather quickly.

Hiei, however stayed awake, watching the rain fall outside of the window and thinking about his problem. After a long while he felt the bed move slightly and glanced to his side. He smiled at what he saw, Kurama had changed his sleeping position. The fox was still somewhat on his stomach, but he was also somewhat on his side, facing away from him. The fire demon quickly noticed that his friend's t-shirt had ridden about halfway up his back, exposing smooth, creamy skin.

Hiei reached over with every intention to pull the shirt back down, covering up the temptation, but his hand had a mind of it's own. He found himself running his fingers lightly across the pleasurable flesh. He knew what he was doing was a very dangerous action, but at the moment he didn't care. The fire demon had been wanting to touch the perfect fox for so long and now he was getting his chance. He ran his fingers up Kurama's spin, very slowly, and then ran them back down just as slow, until it disappeared under the waistband of the boxers. He continued ghosting his fingers across the fox's back, getting more daring each passing minute.

Kurama's eyes snapped open when he felt fingers gently run up his spin., but he didn't move otherwise. He had to bite back a small moan when the fingers slowly came back down. He was trying to figure out why in all the three worlds was Hiei touching him so. He was glad the fingers didn't venture down any further then his waistband or he wouldn't be able to surpass the moan that would have come from the contact. No one alive knew that in his Youko form his erogenous zone was his tail. In his present form it was the area of skin where his tail should be. Kurama was startled to feel the intruding, but not unwelcomed hand slid up under his shirt. He decide he had to know just what was going on.

"What are you doing?" Kurama asked softly, turning his head to look at the fire demon. Hiei didn't answer, he just snatched his hand away. He was breathing harder then normal, for having been caught and for being slightly aroused. He knew should be running as fast as he could away from that apartment, but he was frozen in place.

Hiei's eyes widen when Kurama reached out and touched his arm. The fire demon jerked away and got up from the bed. He flitted out of the room and came back in going to the window. He now had his katana and cloak. Hiei opened the window and then looked over his shoulder. Kurama was now sitting up on the bed staring at his friend with a confused expression on his face. He had to do a double take seeing the expression on the fire demon's face. It was one he knew very well, one of longing.

Hiei opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. He did not want to ruin the only friendship he had, if he hadn't already ruined it. He shook his head before jumping out the window. Kurama got over his shock and quickly darted for the window to stop his friend from leaving. He was of course too late, Hiei was gone from sight. The fox closed the window and looked out into the night. He debated if he should go after the fire demon, but decided against it. He would not push his friend into telling him what had just happened. The fox would ask him next time Hiei came by.

Kurama went back to his bed and got in. As he was trying to go to sleep, his mind kept running over one thing., the apparent look of longing on Hiei's face. He made a mental note to ask the fire demon about that too, next time he saw him. Kurama drifted to sleep still wondering about that look. What the fox didn't know was he would not see Hiei again for a few months, except on missions when they couldn't talk.

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Thanks for reading and please review. If you liked this story, then check out the ones that follow this one.


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